​How to Submit Committee Exhibits

Submitting Legislative Testimony-Frequently Asked Questions

For reference assistance, questions about the legislature, legislative process, or other government agencies, please email
help.leg@oregonlegislature.gov, or call 1-800-332-2313.

If you plan to testify before a committee, adding your meeting materials (copies of your testimony, reports, handouts, etc.) to the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) prior to the start of the meeting is preferred. Please submit final electronic copies of meeting materials by email, in PDF format to the committee exhibit email address. This address is listed on agendas and on each OLIS committee page Email materials
by noon of the business day before the scheduled committee meeting.Click here to access the list of current committee overview pages. Once your materials are submitted, committee staff will post the documents to OLIS for committee members to review. These materials are then released to the public just before the committee meeting begins. After your materials are posted, they are public records, meaning legislators, staff and the public can review and download the materials. Please use discretion with your personal information in written testimony (i.e., do not add personal information you do not want the public to see). All meeting materials, including your name and any personal information contained in the submitted documents are posted to OLIS and are accessible to all major search engines, including Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Please review the following Q&A for additional details, and do not hesitate to contact committee staff listed on each agenda, or committee overview page if you need assistance. As always, we welcome constructive feedback to make the system better. Thank you.

People often submit a paper copy of their testimony when they testify before a committee. Sometimes they accompany written testimony with other materials such as reports and brochures. These materials become official “exhibits” when they are submitted for or during a meeting and become part of the “public record,” which means they go in the committee’s official record, and can be viewed by anyone who wishes to see them.

You should electronically submit materials you would otherwise distribute to the committee at the meeting, including any digital or computer-based presentations, such as PowerPoint or a video.

Please see Question 19 regarding other limitations on posting materials. Also, please be aware that all submitted materials will be viewable by the public, including names, addresses, phone numbers and any other personal information that is included in the materials.

In order to make your testimony available to legislators during the committee meeting, submit these materials as early as possible, but
no later than noon the business day before the meeting.

3. If I email my testimony to the committee the day before a meeting, is it put on OLIS before the meeting begins?
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Yes. These materials are uploaded to OLIS for review by committee members by the end of the day. Materials are released to all legislators and to the public before the meeting begins.

Other bill documents – such as amendments – are available to the public in advance of the meeting when possible.

4. What if I am not able to meet the deadline of submitting materials by noon the business day before the meeting?
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This deadline gives committee staff time to upload materials to OLIS. If submitted after that deadline, staff will attempt to include them, but there is no guarantee that materials received late will be posted in time for the meeting.

5. What if I prefer not to make my testimony available in advance of the meeting?
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If you do not submit your testimony by the noon deadline, it may not be available to members to review before the meeting. It also delays giving the public access to timely information via the Internet. In addition, most lawmakers prefer digital vs paper copies of testimony during a meeting.

If testimony is not sent electronically prior to a meeting, you should email it to the committee as soon as possible following the meeting. There is also a Committee Services & Information (CSI) desk in the Capitol Building where staff can assist you (see #14 below).

6. How do I deliver files electronically to the committee?
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Please submit final electronic copies of meeting materials by email, in PDF format to the committee
by noon of the business day before the scheduled committee meeting. Toward the top of each committee agenda, below the committee telephone number, is an email address to use to send materials. The email address is the committee code, followed by the words “exhibits@state.or.us.
Click here to access the list of current committee overview pages. Additional information can be found at the CSI (see below).

8. In addition to my testimony, what information should I include in my email?
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In the email subject line, please identify the bill number and the name of the committee holding the meeting. In the body of the email, include:

Name of person who is testifying,

Meeting date, and

Topic, if not related to a bill (e.g., for an informational meeting).

9. Can I give committee staff a digital copy of my handouts on a flash drive or CD during the meeting?
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No. There is too much activity during a meeting for the staff to copy files from a thumb drive, CD or other medium. Emailing them to the exhibits email address as attached files is the best method for submission. Or, the CSI desk can assist you.

Free, wireless Internet access is available throughout the Capitol building. [Note that this free Internet access must be used in compliance with the Capitol Wireless Terms and Conditions usage policy. For a copy of this policy, please visit the IS Help Desk, Rm. 40 in the Capitol Building].

10. My written testimony may be in rough draft right before the meeting. Should I send these draft materials in advance?
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Do not send materials until you know they are final. If you send draft materials, and they change, the wrong version may end up on OLIS. Staff will strive to update materials on OLIS if received after the deadline, but making last minute changes may not be possible.

If you send materials by noon the business day before a meeting, but your materials change prior to the meeting, bring paper copies of the correct version to the meeting and tell the members when you begin your testimony that they should refer to the paper version of your materials.

Both Senate and House rules require an amendment be posted on OLIS for at least one hour before the committee can take action on the amendment. Committees can suspend the rules to take action on the amendment if they wish to do so before the hour timeframe.

12. Can I submit materials on a measure even if it is not posted on an agenda for a meeting?
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Materials should not be submitted until a measure is posted for a meeting.

13. What if I submit materials for a meeting, but am not able to attend to testify or a Chair delays or reschedules a meeting?
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Sometimes people anticipate testifying, but are unable to attend the meeting or sign-up to testify but the meeting ends before they are called. A bill may also be carried over to another day when a person may be unable to testify.

Chairs can note submitted materials “for the record” even if the submitter does not testify. If a bill is carried over to another meeting, materials relating to that bill are posted under the new meeting date.

If a bill is removed from an agenda and not rescheduled for a future meeting, staff remove from OLIS any materials on that particular bill, and do not repost it on OLIS unless the bill comes back on an agenda.

14. What if I am not sure how to attach files to emails, or I have a hand written document that I wish to submit?
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CSI staff can scan materials for you or retrieve files from a thumb drive, CD/DVD or similar mediums, and ensure these files get to the right place. If you have not submitted your testimony electronically prior to a meeting—or need other information or assistance with the committee process— please visit the CSI desk.

15. Can I take materials to the CSI desk after the meeting has started to make sure they are uploaded to OLIS by the time I am called up to testify?
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It is possible that materials received the same day of a meeting can still be uploaded to OLIS, but there is no guarantee this will happen. In order to ensure documents are available on OLIS, they must be submitted by noon the business day before the meeting.

16. Are committee exhibits available on OLIS after the meetings?
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Yes, most materials handed out during a meeting, if not on OLIS before the meeting, will usually be posted following the meeting. For a variety of reasons, some documents may not be on OLIS. Documents on OLIS are provided as an informational service only and should not be relied upon as an official record. Exhibits for past legislative sessions are available at the Oregon State Archives.

17. What other committee information is available on OLIS?
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OLIS includes committee agendas, members of committees, staff contacts and related committee information. OLIS also includes information on measures voted out of committee, including how the measure may have been amended and how members voted.

18. How do I know when OLIS is updated with new information?
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The user is responsible for checking OLIS for new information. Users should remember to refresh their computer browser (F5) to see if new materials are posted.

19. Are there some materials that will not be available on OLIS?
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Yes. Sometimes committees receive oversized documents (e.g., posters) or very long documents that, at the discretion of committee staff, cannot be feasibly scanned and placed on a web page. Or, someone may show a DVD, which then becomes part of the official committee record. (We collect a copy of the DVD for committee records, but cannot store such large files on our system.) In these and similar situations, OLIS will note the file location of the video.